ICARUS SAVED FROM THE SKIES by Georges-Olivier Chateaureynaud

I’ve been playing with Internet browsers and not a single one of them will consistently and dependably load pages without errors. I know that technology is moving forward at a breakneck speed, but if consumers of the information are not able to accesses it with accuracy then what is the point. The big three need to figure it out: Internet Explorer 8, is just okay; Goggle Chrome, has some good features but times out pictures, and; Fire Fox, way to slow.

Anyway, if you haven’t seen anything from me lately, it is because I have been fighting with Internet browsers to correctly resolve The Soulless Machine Review on my computer. The comforting thing is that when I try it anywhere else, it works just fine…but that just adds fuel to my fire at home. Blah …

“Icarus Saved from the Skies” is a story that has been translated into English by Edward Gauvin from the original French. The story brought to mind a non-hero version of Marvel’s Warren Worthington III, the feathered playboy with an obsessive grudge against Apocalypse for turning him in the monster Archangel. However, Chateaureynaud’s story isn’t about a Marvel Mutant, but a poor sap who sprouts worthlessly weak feathered wings.

Chateaureynaud writes from the under-winged angle’s perspective, which has the definite feel of an abridged memoir or diary. The accounting of events begins in his twenties as small lumpy stubs begin to protrude from his shoulder blades. The story jumps forward through his life as he dates, finds love, marries, and falls out of love. All the while, his wings grow and fill out, but they are too small to carry him into the sky as Icarus’ had lifted him from his prison toward the sun, but too large to effectively hide under clothing or large coats. He is a prisoner in his own home. His wife, not so much loving, is a dedicated observer and fanatic believer that one day he will fly and carry her superman-style.

“Icarus Saved from the Skies” is a train wreck of emotions that sends the winged-narrator over the side of a cliff. Don’t miss it. I recommend this story to anyone who likes Marvel Mutants, but is sick to death of their wars and fighting and would rather read a story about an individuals struggle to find peace with himself.

Chateaureynaud, George-Oliver. “Icarus Saved from the Skies.” Fantasy & Science Fiction. August / September 2009, Vol. 117, No. 1 & 2. p. 140 - 145